Peck & Peck

This is Bonnie Garmus's ( the author of Lessons in Chemistry ) second novel. The story follows Batter Gray, a young man who loves poetry, even though no one around him appreciates it. Born in 1957 in a small California town, Batter was named after a brave family dog.

By 1982, Batter is a recent college graduate in a crime-filled New York City. He is currently folding T-shirts at the Gap while his friends have real careers. His only steady relationship is with Sallie Mae, the company that gave him his student loan.

Then he lands a job at Peck & Peck, a celebrated New York poetry journal that is famously prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional. Once inside, Batter is caught in a hidden feud between the two Editors-in-Chief, the famous Peck brothers, twins and rivals, and gets a front-row seat to the private lives of the thirty-nine editors, all devoted to one goal: finding originality. Here, merely good poems don't make the cut, plagiarists get shown the door, and parolees staff the mailroom. At first everyone who matters dislikes Batter, and none of them can pronounce his name correctly.

The novel is a warm, big-hearted story about ambition, talent, and the value of art. Garmus raises serious questions about what's at stake in culture and ambition, and about who has real talent and who doesn't, and she surrounds Batter with a large, eccentric ensemble cast.

Is Peck & Peck Worth Reading? Yes, if you enjoyed the unique humor and quirky main character in Lessons in Chemistry, or if you like witty stories. Early reviews are positive. Booklist gave it a starred review, and the Boston Globe praised how the plot threads and characters come together nicely. I thought the book started slowly and some parts felt long, but it's worth it in the end and would make a fun choice for book clubs. Readers expecting a male Elizabeth Zott may be surprised, since Batter challenges convention in quieter, subtler ways and is very much his own person - I loved him!

For more information check out the publisher's official book summary